Castle-upon-tyne



2 Sheets-Sheet 8 1.

(No Model.)

' J. VAVASSEUR.

APPARATUSFOR TRAINING GUNS. No; 881,095. Patented Apr. 10, 1888.

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N. PETERS. Pholnrblhogrnphur. Wahingtun. m r.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.- J. VAVASSEUR.

APPARATUS FOR TRAINING GUNS.

Patented Apr. 10, 1888.

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a. PETERS. Phnhrlimogmpber, Wahilvgtmu B.C.

UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE.

ASSIGNOR TO \V. G. ARMSTRONG, MITCHELL & 00.,

OASTLEUPONTYN E, ENGLAND.

(LIMITED, on NEW- APPARATUS FOR TRAINING GUNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 381,095, dated April 10, 1888.

. Application filed January 25, 1888. Serial No. 261,906. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSIAH VAVASSEUR, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at the London Ordnance Works, Bear Lane,

5 Southwark, in the county of Surrey, England,

engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Training Guns, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to allow a I centrally-pivoted gun to be trained rapidly through a large angle, and also to allow it to be sltowly-moved when giving the final adjust men In order to permit of the gun being readily r rotated its center of gravity should be in its pivot, or nearly so. The pivot has fixed to it a toothed wheel which gears with a toothed pinion, upon whose axis is mounted a wormwheel. The gun is trained by means of a handie on one end of a shaft whose other end carries a. worm which takes into the teeth of the worm-Wheel.

In order to train the gun slowly, the training or worm shaft is turned, thereby driving 2 the worm-wheel on the axis of the toothed pinion; but when it is desired to turn the gun quickly through a large angle the worm is thrown out of gear with the worm'wheel, and the gun is turned directly by the gunner. A

0 shoulder-piece may be provided at the rear of the gun for the gunner to push against for this purpose.

Figure 1 of the drawings hereunto annexed is a side elevation, partly in section, and Fig.

5 2 a plan, of apparatus for training guns constructed in the above manner. Fig. 3 is a 1ongitudinal section showing, on an enlarged scale, the hollow training shaft and connections thereof. Fig. 4 is a side elevation,'and Fig. 5

40 a plan view, showing a modification of the training-gear. Fig. 6 is a plan view showing, on an enlarged scale, the slide and adjacent parts of the modified training-gear.

A is the fixed central pivot around which 5 the gun-mounting turns.

B is a ring of teeth around the base of this pivot.

Cis the pivoting-bed of the mounting,which is supported by and can turn around the pivot A.

D D are pedestals rising up from this bed.

E is a carriage carrying the trunnions of the gun F and capable of sliding along the top of the pedestals.

G are hydraulic recoil-cylinders.

H is a vertical axis carried in bearings on the pivoting-bed 0. On its lower end it has upon it a toothed pinion, I, which gears into the fixed ring of teeth B, and on its upper end it has fixed upon it a worm-wheel, J.

K is a worm,which can be made to gear with the worm-wheel. It is fixed on one end of a hollow axis, L, and can be turned by a handwheel, M, fixed on the opposite end of the axis. The axis at its center can turn in a bearing, 0, carried by the side of one of the pedestals D.

P is a rod which passes through the hollow axis L, as will be better seen in Fig. 3, which shows on a larger scale a longitudinal section of the two ends of the hollow axis. When the worm is gearing with the wormwheel, the fore end of the rod enters a hole in the casing D, which forms part of the pedestal D. When the rod is drawn back by the handle P at its rear end, the fore end of the rod is drawn out from the hole, and the fore end of the hollow axis can be moved aside, so as to put the worm out of gear with the worm-wheel.

R is a spring bearing against a collar on the rear end of the rod P to force it forward and cause its fore end to springinto the hole in the casing D whenever the worm is brought'into gear with the worm-wheel.

S is the hand-wheel of the elevating-gear.

For guns of larger dimensions it may be more convenient to work the training-gear at the side instead of in rear of the gun, as in the construction just described, in which case I modify the arrangement for putting the worm in or out of gear with the worm-wheel in the manner shown at Figs. 4 and 5.

I fix the worm-wheel J on the fixed pivot A, and the end of the axis L, which carries the worm, I mount in bearings in aslide, T, which can be moved toward or away from the wormwheel by a lever, U, so that by turning this lever the worm can be put in or out of gear with the worm-wheel, as will be better seen at Fig. 6. The rear end of the axis L has upon me it a bevel-wheel, V, which has gearing into it a bevel-pinion, W, on the axis of which is a hand-wheel, M.

The bearing in which the rear end of the axis L is carried is free to swivel on a pin concentric with the axis of the pinion W.

The gunmounting shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is in other respects formed in the manner described in my patent numbered 373, 623, so that it is unnecessary to give any description of it.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is- The combination of a centrally-pivoted gun (5 having its center of gravity approximately over the pivot or axis, a w0rn1-wheel on the axis, or on an axis geared therewith, and a worm which can be thrown into gear therewith and then turned by hand to turn the gun 2o slowly, or thrown out of gear to allow of the gun being turned quickly.

JOSIAH VAVASSEUR. 

